NEWS FETCH — October 16, 2017

TOP NEWS

• Newest fires strike Sugarloaf area, Rutherford as Nuns Complex spreads over the Mayacamas. Sonoma City battle eases – Updated 6:03 a.m. PDT 10/16/17
• Status on 65+ wineries (and wine businesses): Good, bad or gone – UPDATED 7: 01 a.m., Oct. 15
• Fires Won’t Destroy California Wine Industry
• Firefight reaches 2nd week as flames chase thousands from homes
• Rain ‘very likely’ coming to Wine Country fire zones
• Federal aid available to fire disaster victims in Napa and Sonoma counties
• Satellite data shows Kenwood, Sugarloaf, Rutherford main foci as Nuns fire spreads over the Mayacamas
• New London wine competition will rate wines for commercial success and consumer appeal in addition to quality. *Sponsored Link*

—-NAPA/SONOMA/NORTH BAY FIRES SPECIAL SECTION—-

ICYMI (IN CASE YOU MISSED IT)

• Favorable winds make for progress in wine country fires fights but Nuns Complex flares in Kenwood & City of Sonoma. Death toll hits state record. Updated 9:11 a.m. PDT 10/15/17
• Fire pushes into City of Sonoma’s NE corner driven by Red Flag winds. Containment advances on other fires. Death toll rises — Updated 5:36 pm PDT 10/14/17
• Fires continue to grow; Red Flag Warning Tonight + Today’s current fire maps and status updates – Updated 6:26 am PDT 10/13/17
• N. Calif wine country wildfire situation expected to intensify as wind picks up – Updated 12:38 pm PDT 10/11/17

RECENT UPDATES

• Napa Wildfires Media Update from the Napa Valley Vintners
• Northern California Fires Have Destroyed at Least 5,700 Buildings
• Important Information Regarding Vineyards & Arson Attempts
• A new peril that’s preventable and deplorable: gouging
• Fire Recovery Guide
• Caution issued for debris removal from Napa fires
• CHP warns against drone use in area of Wine Country fires
• More than just wine country is burning in California
• PG&E expects to restore all power soon
• Suspected looter arrested amid devastation of Santa Rosa fire, police say
• In Santa Rosa, Businesses Struggle to Remain Open: “It’s Like a Nuclear Bomb Went Off”
• Despite clear risks, Santa Rosa neighborhood that burned down was exempt from fire regulations
• Coffey Park is Ground Zero for California fire devastation
• Smoke from Wine Country fires traveled as far as Mexico, over 500 miles south
  

EVACUATION INFORMATION

• Evacuation information for Sonoma County
• Fire evacuations lifted in Calistoga, Gordon Valley
• City of Napa lifts fire evacuation advisory in eastern neighborhoods
• Wine Country residents run for their lives. Again

LEGAL ISSUES

• TTB and County of Napa Info for Businesses Affected by Wildfires
• Video: Demo of how to fill out TTB claim form to report wine loss due to wildfire damage
• If you lost work due to the wildfires, read this post

FIRES AND WINE/TOURISM

• At Napa vineyards untouched by wildfires, the grapes must still be picked
• Caution advised when picking Napa wine grapes in fire areas
• Fires deliver economic blow to Sonoma County businesses, workers
• Hope in Wine Country as vineyards assess the long-term economic impact of the wildfires
• After the smoke clears: Wine Country economy expected to rebound
• How will the California fires impact wine?
• Sonoma Wildfires’ Impact On Wine And Marijuana
• California wine country wonders when tourists will return
• What do the Napa and Sonoma wildfires mean for wine drinkers?

RELIEF EFFORTS

• Gallo Winery Contributes $1 Million to Fire Recovery Effort
• Oakland Raiders donate $1 million for North Bay fire relief
• Wine Industry Forms Fire Relief Network
• Central Coast Wine Organizations Fundraise for Victims of Northern California Fires
• Fire-ravaged Napa overwhelmed by in-kind donations; ‘pace yourselves,’ supervisor says
• With Fires Devastating Wine Country, Here’s What You Can Do
• As Fires’ Impact Starts To Become Clear, Wine Producers Lend One Another A Hand
• California wine leaders to help fire-damaged Sonoma, Napa, Mendocino vintners
• Businesses announce fire relief fundraisers, donations, offers
• Vine Transit offers free rides for next three weeks
• Stone Distributing Co. to Aid California’s Fire Victims through Collective Independent Craft Beer Effort
• Northern California’s restaurant community rallies to feed fire victims
• Do you need food due to the fires? Let us help
• Help Center To Open In Napa To Help Residents Recover From Wildfires
• Facebook delivers 5,000 meals to Napa Valley Salvation Army, pledges more
• Wash. vintners rally to support burned-out Calif. wine country
• Participate in a statewide fire relief effort
• Marin techies offer Wine Country fire victims free help with data retrieval
• Andrea Anderson Beer & Wine Services offers free compliance work for fire victims
• Enservio offers WildFireContents.com for free to assist with Northern California recovery efforts
• Additional Northern California Fire Relief Resources

RESEARCH/PREVENTION/NEXT STEPS

• Project saved homes from fires, but can it be duplicated?
• Northern California wildfires expose emergency alert weaknesses in cellphone era
• The Toll Of The California Fires And Some Of What Comes Next
• A fire’s first, fatal hours

STORIES/COMMENTARY

• Atlas Peak vintners share stories of loss and close calls
• Latino workers flee California wine country fires for shelters, beaches
• Ray Signorello: ‘The vineyard acted like a great firebreak. It’s kind of miraculous.”
• The Heroic Efforts of Wine Writer Sarah Stierch During the Wine Country Fires
• Thoughts on the Wine Country Fires
• Sonoma County from the Ashes
• America Under Fire: An Open Letter to the Italian Wine Community

—–END SPECIAL SECTION—-

WINE SUPPLY & CONSUMPTION

• Santa Barbara County’s Wine Grape Harvest Finishing with Lighter Yields, But Solid Quality
• South Africa: Cape wine farmers’ harvest in danger
• USA world’s most ‘attractive’ export market

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• Wonderful Nurseries Lives Up to Its “Growers First” Reputation *Sponsored Link*

DROUGHT/WATER

• As Water Agencies Cast Votes, Future of Delta Tunnels Remains Unclear
• Central Valley Project begins 2018 water year with 8.9 million acre-feet of storage

CONSUMER SALES: DTC, ON- & OFF-PREMISE

• Businesses react to Iowa law that prohibits beer and wine to cross state lines

REAL ESTATE – What’s this new section about?

• ** Sponsored link: Estate Vineyard,Tasting Room & Ranch with spectacular top-of-the world views, $3,950,000, 110 Acres, California. Confidential listing. Click now for more info and non-disclosure details.

PUBLIC COMPANIES

• Sam Adams Would Go Down Smooth for Winemaker Constellation Brands

INTERNATIONAL TRADE

• NAFTA talks left reeling after aggressive U.S. proposals land

INVESTING IN WINE, COLLECTING & AUCTIONS

• Talking Trade – Bordeaux and Burgundy regain market share
• Christie’s to Auction Heidsieck ‘Champagne Charlie’ Vintages
• iDealwine update: Natural Progression

HEALTH

• Grapes may offer drug treatment for COPD

WINE SELECTION AND RECOMMENDATION

• What has happened to the 1983 Port vintage?

MARKETING & SALES

• Crowdfunding site Indiegogo will now let you sell products as it shifts into commerce

PACKAGING, LABELS & CORKS

• More on 19th century South African wine labels

TRADE SHOWS & CONFERENCES

• Oct. 19 Specialty Food & Beverage Industry Conference postponed

SOCIAL MEDIA & TECH

• Longer tweets have not ruined Twitter

MANAGEMENT & EMPLOYMENT

• Farm worker program languishes
• The wine glass ceiling
• Facebook is testing a resume feature to take on LinkedIn

MEDIA MATTERS

• Has the sun set on UK wine blogging?

WINE PEOPLE

• The Croatian Immigrant Family who Created One of New Zealand’s Best Wineries
• Six Degrees of Rajat Parr
• 40 Under 40: Charla Haasbroek

EUROPE & THE UK

• The Burgundy Report
• Viticulture, not climate, is changing Champagne
• Brexit: May and Corbyn now say yes to Europe – sort of
• UK: WSTA warns of further hefty price hikes if duty is not frozen
• UK: How consumer on-trade spend could top 2016 this Christmas

DOWN UNDER

• NZ: Former tourism boss joins Wine Marlborough board

ASIA & PACIFIC RIM

• China: B&R makes Ningxia heady with wine success

SOUTH AFRICA

• Dire drought conditions threaten SA’s fine wine revolution

AROUND THE GLOBE

• Turning weed into wine in Lebanon

NOT JUST FOR THE TRADE

• Drinking wine in the shower just got a lot easier, thanks to this creative new product

CRAFT BEVERAGES: BEER, CIDER, WINE & SPIRITS

• Brewery employs crayfish to purify water